"Not Sure About the Rides, Just Want Food" Black Bear Spotted at US Disney World

Wildlife Protection Committee Captures and Reopens Facility
Presumed to Have Descended Searching for Food Before Winter

A black bear appeared at the representative amusement park in the United States, 'Disney World,' leading to the closure of some facilities.

According to the US media Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 18th (local time), a female black bear appeared in the 'Magic Kingdom Park' area of Disney World in Florida, USA, on that day.

Upon receiving this report, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) captured the black bear near a tree inside Magic Kingdom Park around 2:45 PM. While FWC was capturing the bear, Disney World temporarily closed about 12 rides in the area.

Black bear. The photo is not related to any specific expression in the article.

Fortunately, no casualties occurred during the bear capture process. Also, after the bear was captured, the closure of Magic Kingdom Park was lifted, and the rides were reported to be available again.

The captured bear is expected to be relocated to the Ocala National Forest in Florida or its surrounding area. Ocala National Forest is the second largest national forest owned by the state of Florida.

The reason black bears come down to developed areas is known to be food. FWC analyzed, "Bears accumulate fat from fall to prepare for winter," and "During this time, they are actively searching for food, and it is highly likely that this bear moved to the area in search of food."

Adult bears consume about 20,000 calories (kcal) per day in the fall. This is about 10 times the recommended daily caloric intake of an adult male, which is 2,500 to 2,700 kcal.

Florida Disney World, USA
Photo by Yonhap News

FWC warned, "All accessible food such as garbage, pet food, and bird feed can be a temptation to hungry bears preparing for winter."

Florida is famous as a habitat for black bears. Black bears, whose main habitat is the American continent, are mainly distributed in the southern United States, including Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi.

Usually, black bears inhabit forested areas, but sometimes they come down to human residential areas. In June, a black bear appeared at a Florida beach, prompting FWC to track it down.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.